Malibu's Most Wanted

Eminem may want to hide out in his crib for a while, because Malibu's Most Wanted comes after 8 Mile with a suppository the size of Detroit. In this Al Yankovichian spoof, Jamie Kennedy stars as B-Rad, a.k.a. Brad Gluckman, a boy in the hood whose hood happens to be one of California's wealthiest. But that doesn't stop this pot-bellied wigga from trying to represent. It's just that what he's representing is, say, the nonfat latte at Malibrew Coffee Shop. ("And don't forget the sprinkles!") In 8 Mile, you may recall, Eminem staked his claim to hip-hop legitimacy on his class solidarity with poor people of all races and creeds. Malibu's Most Wanted flips that notion on its head. B-Rad has led such a pampered life that the slightest irritation is evidence of how hard-core it is up in "the 'Bu." And then there's his debut CD: Malibootay.

Kennedy's been working on this character for several years now, both in his stand-up act and on his WB hidden-camera show, and he's polished it to perfection. But the movie itself could use some more comedy bling. Only Kennedy is capable of making us laugh, it seems. The script has B-Rad getting kidnapped by a couple of actors posing as gangstas (Taye Diggs and Anthony Anderson). They've been hired by B-Rad's dad (Ryan O'Neal), who's running for governor and, lest his son's delusions of grandeur destroy his prospects, tries to "scare the black out of him." But a "Ransom of Red Chief" thing occurs: B-Rad, oblivious to the danger he's in, wreaks havoc on his captors. "Don't be hatin'," he says when he gets in another jam, and Kennedy may hope that'll become this year's "Shagadelic, baby!" But Malibu's Most Wanted may not have the juice to get the job done. Eminem, you can come out now.